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Does anyone remember ‘Reenactor Parking?’ I used to love those comics, I think I actually printed a couple off and hung them on my wall.
That was back aways, close to 10 years ago.
2007, The Pacific hadn’t even come out yet and Band of Brothers was still new enough to really get excited about. It was pretty close to the peak of my reenacting experience and I’m now realizing I’m not the only one who looks back at this time fondly.
Was there a reenacting ‘hay day’ and has its time come and gone? My best good friend Cody, whose been reenacting as long as I have, mentioned having the same feeling recently.
“You remember what it used to be like,” he’d say. “How excited we’d get?”
Now Cody and I still get excited about stuff. All the time actually, it’s just not usually about reenacting anymore. It typically has something to do with women, or movies, or which one of us hurled the best insult at the other.
But not reenacting. I figured we’d just been doing it so long that it stopped being exciting, but more and more I feel like no one is excited about reenacting anymore. Even the new guys I’ve seen come into the hobby in the last few years don’t seem as wound up about it.
The young guys, who get into it at 15 or 16 and are usually so gung ho it makes you want to puke, don’t really care anymore. Ten years ago any new reenactor under the age of 19 would literally wet his pants at the sight of anything he didn’t own. I remember I got to carry a GP ammo bag at my first tactical, one of the other guys let me borrow it. I thought it was the coolest thing I’d ever seen and I stared at it all day.
About two years ago I let a new reenactor in our unit borrow a spare wool overcoat for a Bulge event. When the day was winding down and he tried to give it back to me I said, “Naw, you keep it.”
I thought I would be super cool and he’d be in awe of the overcoat forever, but he said, “sure, I guess,” and I haven’t seen him since. This is not isolated or unusual; this is commonplace in today’s hobby.
The hay day is over, the best is past and the hobby will spin into the abyss.
Unless… we all harness our inner Bernie Sanders and start a revolution! Republicans, sorry for the Sanders reference, but you understand what I’m getting at and don’t pretend you don’t love Bernie just a little.
Ok maybe not so much a revolution, but a renaissance. We’re living in a renaissance as it is. Everything that used to be cool is cool again. We’ve brought back music, clothes, food, books and even politics that used to be cool. We love anything that “used to be” so why not do the same with reenacting?
So go to Rockford, even if you’ve been 10 times before. Get in the cheesiest public battle you can find, because god dammit you used to get so wound up for them. Stop thinking so much about what kind of beer you should bring for Saturday night and start thinking about what patrols you want to run or training you could do.
And by god, print off a couple 'Reenactor Parking' comics and hang them on your wall.

It takes all kinds, as the old saying goes. WWII reenacting is no different. Many kinds of people are attracted to the hobby. You have your gun nuts, your vintage vehicle nuts, folks who love all eras of history and those who’s interests lie exclusively in the Second World War. Among those groups are military veterans who’ve come to reenacting since leaving the “real deal,” so to speak.
This portion of the reenacting population brings untold levels of insight and experience to the hobby. Nobody knows how to act like they’re in the military better than someone who’s… actually done it. Yet it can also be difficult for some to escape the mindset of the modern military when they transition to the 1940s military.
I recently sat down with one of these veterans. Brandon Strand, a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan whose recently picked up the hobby. Here’s what he had to say about his time in the military and his transition to the hobby.
How long have you been reenacting and what unit do you reenact with?
I have been reenacting for just about a year now. The group that I am a member of is the 101st ABN, F Co 2nd BN 502nd.
How did you become aware of the hobby?
I became aware of reenacting when one of my prior Soldiers in the National Guard was in the process of filming a movie in Minnesota. He invited me to film with him as an extra in the film. During the filming I learned that most of the extras do this as a hobby. This intrigued me and shortly after I joined F Company.
What initially interested you in joining a group?
What interested me in joining the group was during the filming of the movie I heard about an event called Dundas that was coming up in a few months. I thought it sounded interesting and I would attend. After I spent the weekend participating in my first event I was hooked. It brings back all the nostalgia of the Army that I missed without any of “The Suck” as Service members as so aware of in their everyday life.
When did you enlist in the military and why?
I joined the Army when I was 24 years old. I was one of the older Service Members as many joined at our around 18 years old. I had always wanted to serve my country and join, but life, school, and a woman initially delayed my joining. I personally think that it’s every person responsibility to pay service to their nation whether through volunteering or service.
What units did you serve with?I did a short stint in the Special Forces, but due to injury was not allowed to continue training. I spent the majority of my Active time in the 82nd ABN Division, Bravo Company 2-504th PIR in North Carolina. After 5 years I moved back home to Minnesota and spent 1 and ½ years in 34th INF Division in Alpha Company 2-135th light Infantry and 1 ½ years in the 34th INF Division in Bravo Company 1-194th Mechanized Bradley Unit.
Where and when were you deployed?
I did two deployments with Bravo Company 2-504th PIR. My first was located at FOB Ramadi in the Al Anbar Providence of Iraq for 13 months in 2008-2009. My second deployment was also with Bravo Company 2-504th PIR. We were in Afghanistan for 9 months in 2012 at COP Qara Bagh in the Ghazni Providence.
I’m sure there are some similarities between today’s military and our representation of the WWII military. What are some of the best examples of how “unchanged” the military had remained in the last 75 years?
Lol, yes there are many similarities between our representation of the WW II military and that of today. The most common one is the hurry up and wait. Whenever something comes up it’s a frenzy of activity to quickly carry out a task and by the end of it you’re always waiting on someone else or a time hack and then your just standing around shooting the shit telling stories to get the time to pass.
Have you found it difficult to “unlearn,” so to speak, some of what you were trained in the military, such as how to carry your rifle or the appropriate terminology for things?
Yes, you spend so much time carrying your rifle in the current low ready position of today so you have to actively remember to forget if that makes sense. Also I’ll start talking about teams, letters or movements and by default I will use Alpha, Bravo instead of Able, and Baker. It does get hard to unlearn 8 years of habits, but after a few events it becomes more natural.
Even though you served with the 82nd, how’s it feel to portray the soldiers in reenacting that made the airborne you served in so famous and elite?
Amazing, we all look up to the Greatest Generation during the Greatest War with respect. There is so much nostalgia for them, what they did, and what they lived through. When you put that uniform on it makes you feel a part of something bigger than yourself. You hold yourself up to a higher standard you want to live up to that uniform. With that you also have a bit of arrogance, and cockiness. Lol well, a lot more than a bit. You don’t think you’re the best you simply know you are. This just makes you want to do better and strive to be better than anyone else.
How has your service helped you become a better reenactor?
You have been there and done that. Even though they went through different training there is something about service members that set us apart from the rest of civilians. Even though the terminology and movements are slightly different you have a base of knowledge to draw upon.
On the other side, do you think experience in reenacting could help someone preparing to join the military?
Yes, you do get some military bearing, such as chain of command, and duties. You also build up comfort for being in the woods and practicing in military exercises even if it’s a little bit different than the way we do things now. You gain a level of comfort.
What are some of the most important things you can teach reenactors who have no military experience about how to portray a solider?
Look cool, Be cool, and do cool things. We call it the three principles of patrolling. If you dress the part, if you act the part, if you portray the part, you are the part. Look to the man to your left and the man to your right and copy what they do.
What’s your favorite part about reenacting so far?
The Comradery is one of the best parts, but my favorite part is the tactical portion. I love being in the woods, I love practicing the movements. The quiet of the movements through the woods, the tense in the air before battle, the smell of sulfur after rounds have been fired.
Even though it’s on a vastly smaller scale, do you feel a sense of comradery amount your reenacting group that’s reminiscent of your experience in the military?
Yes, it is a different level as when I was active I was with the guys 7 days a week, 24 hours a day for 5 years. But there is a shared experience between the reenactors and myself.
Having experienced life in a combat zone, have there been moments in reenacting that have challenged you emotionally, so to speak?
In terms of flash backs or issues I have not had any difficulty. But emotionally it does stir a lot of memories and emotions about my time in the service, and time with my brothers. It brings back thoughts of all the down time smoking and joking with my brothers. The deep conversations of marry one, fuck one, kill one and would you rather…. As well as plans and hopes for the future.

Christmas money can be spent any way you want. I was at a tattoo shop today and the line to get in was nearly around the block. Everyone I talked to was there to blow there holiday cash. Wouldn't be my choice to spend my hardly earned xmas money, but to each their own.
I prefer to spend mine on something a little more useful, though hardly any more practical. WWII reenacting gear.
Naturally Man The Line is my go to source for everything O.D., and although I'm naturally biased, I feel it's appropriate to pitch a few of my most wanted items.
So, here are my top three Man The Line items to spend your Christmas money on.

Paratrooper Leather Jump Gloves

Being primarily an airborne reenactor, these are the first item on my list. I've seen all manor of leather gloves being used by reenactors as "jump gloves" but I can honestly and without bias say these are the best reproductions I've seen so far. Many other reproductions look very much like originals, but the feel of these gloves sets them apart. Reproduction gloves tend to be stiff and uncomfortable, and never seem to fit. These are soft and comfy, with a natural color that doesn't stand out like some of those neon yellow jobs I've seen floating around at events in the past. Work them in with a little dirt sweat and water and they'll look great, feel great and form to the shape of your hands for the perfect protection for your fingers.
2. USMC 1941 "782" Upper and Lower Combat Field Equipment Pack
PTO is a growing faction of WWII reenacting. Thanks to films like "The Pacific" and "Heartbreak Ridge" many reenactors are being more intrigued by the idea of "stomping through the Solomons." With that new wave of reenacting comes a far greater number of USMC events and impressions. And no piece of gear is more important to a Marine impression than the "782" pack. I started my USMC impression a little over a year ago and have been piecing away at it since then. The 782 is tops on my list of "next to buy" and while I don't have it yet I have gotten my mitts on one of MTL's repros recently. Top notch as always, the most intriguing part of this piece of gear is the price. $80 for both the upper and lower packs is a steal to say the least. You'd pay at least that much for each piece individually at any other site.
3. U.S. M1917 SBR Gas Mask & Carry Bag
So this is a fairly new item at Man The Line and I'm very excited to try it out. Much like PTO reenacting, WWI is on its way up in the reenacting world. My obsession with the Great War began with an obsession with Boardwalk Empire, or more specifically with Jimmy Darmody. I loved the idea of a WWI vet coming home, putting on some amazingly slick suits and falling into the hay-day of organized crime. So I've thus begin a WWI impression, more specifically the 134th Infantry Regiment. I had no idea repro gas masks were even a thing, so when I got to play around with one of these bad boys a couple months ago I got very excited. Gas masks are THE most iconic and horrific prop of the war to end all wars. The price is heavy at $239.95, but I can tell you every last penny is worth it when the huns hit you with gas at your next event.
Good shopping to all and happy holidays!!!!

Authenticity. Some folks have it, and they’re assholes that go out of their way to demean other reenactors about the color of their buttons.
I understand feeling like this. Sometimes the ole stitch Nazis can really get on your nerves. We go out for a weekend to have fun and they stand around criticizing everyone’s boot soles. It sucks, and there’s a time and place for constructive criticism.
More and more though, I wish there were a few more stitch Nazis roaming the grounds of living history events and tacticals alike. They seem to have disappeared, replaced by the most complacent, who gives a damn, hand me that Mountain Dew band of reenactors I’ve ever seen in my life.
It seems as if we’ve forgotten what made us want to do this hobby in the first place. So we could time travel to what we believe is the most interesting, devastating yet strangely beautiful time in our history. We love the 1940s. We love the music, the movies, the guns and the gear; everything about the era gives us a history boner.
So why then, when we get a chance to put on the uniforms and spend a weekend as close as we’ll ever get to stepping into George Luz’s long johns, do we sit on coolers covered in wool blankets sharing photos on Instagram and waiting till the sun goes down so we can sit around a fire and drink lukewarm bud light?
If I wanted to do that I’d befriend the hillbilly rednecks I went to high school with. I’m sure they’re in the middle of a cornfield right now tossing empty blue cans into a nearly out-of-control fire.
What’s the point? I mean honestly I’d like an answer here. If you’re not at least going to give authenticity the old college try, then why the fuck even be a part of the hobby?
And what happened to people being embarrassed of their authenticity mistakes? Everyone makes them and continues to make them. But 5 years ago at least people would acknowledge their mistakes and move forward. In 2016 it seems totally acceptable to use your smartphone just as you would in everyday life during events. No shame, no guilt, just Facebook.
I have a smartphone. I love my smartphone; the technology amazes me almost every day. But when I get to an event I shut it off. I understand if you need to have your phone on you incase of a family emergency, but if you can’t go 2 days without checking your Facebook or taking selfies then you need to have your fucking head examined.
So what happens now? Have smart phones become such a replacement for our personality that we can’t possibly be without them and therefore it’s completely OK to use them regularly at an event? I hope not.
Have we become so complacent with our hobby that we honest to goodness stop learning anything about the unit we portray and stop caring about how we portray them?
I’m seeing it happen all over the hobby. And the hobby is suffering because of it. Are your unit’s numbers down lately? I thought they might be……..
The stitch Nazis have died off and their return is nowhere in sight. We should all pray they come back before the hobby vanishes into the grey space somewhere between airsoft and cosplay.

We posted an article on the MTL blog about a month ago telling everyone why we think cold weather events are the best events.
Tonight, as I sit in my living room getting ready for an overnight Battle of the Bulge event in Central Minnesota this coming weekend, I’m having second thoughts.
I always have second thoughts about doing events like this, for one simple reason.
They’re fucking miserable.
It seems like every year I forget how much it sucks to sleep outside in below freezing temperatures with nothing but 75-year-old wool to keep my nuts from falling off.
Why do I do this to myself??? I stood outside for 5 minutes tonight while the dog went to the bathroom and was still bitching about how cold it was 10 minutes after I came back inside.
A week from now I’ll remember it is worth it. It’s worth braving the cold to gain the experience of what it was like to survive in those conditions. Plus once you spend a night out like that you feel like you’re the toughest SOB around for a little while.
But for now I’m going to complain, and regret agreeing to do it, and think about backing out (I won’t). The only thing I can do to ease the tension is think of every possible way to keep myself warm for those 24 hours. So, I’ve complied a short list of the “must have” items for a cold weather overnight event. Here goes.

Straw

The low temperature this coming Friday, the night of the event, is 4 F. If the forecast turns out to be true, it’ll be the coldest night I’ve ever spent outside. The absolute, no doubt about it, most imperative tool for braving that kind of temperature is a bail of straw. Peel it apart and line the bottom of your foxhole with a solid layer. Its insulating abilities are remarkable, and while it might’ve been a seldom had luxury in the real Bulge, it’s a must have for these events.

Real socks

I like to think I’m a real hard ass when it comes to authenticity, but I’ll admit that even I break down slightly when it comes to these events. You won’t find any handwarmers in my jacket pockets, but you will find a few pairs of high quality, modern cold weather socks on my feet. There’s nothing more to say, you can’t get by without them. Cold hands can always be warmed in pockets, armpits or crotches. Cold feet are on their own and mine won’t survive without real socks.

Esbit stove

No fires in the bulge, but a covered foxhole with an esbit stove passes muster in my eyes, and there’s nothing better than a tiny, golden red sliver of hope when your nuts are freezing to your leg. Use it to warm fingers, light cigarettes, heat your corn beef hash, anything that’ll keep you going.
4. A foxhole buddy
I’ll try not to sound weird here, but nothing warms you up like, snuggling up next to another shivering, miserable buddy. It’s just like cuddling, but without the reward at the end. I’ve spent nights in foxholes by myself and nights with another reenactor. I can tell you the nights spent in the latter situation were infanantely more comfortable.
So, my socks are packed, the straw is bought and paid for, my pockets are stuffed with fuel tablets. Friday night is the big night and I’m already shivering. Wish me luck!

I had lunch with a small group of reenactors last weekend. The conversation was usual reenacting banter, who's got the best uniforms, best events, so on and so forth. The talk eventually came around to WWII veterans and their stories, which is always does. One of the reenactors, a nice young guy I’d never met, said he still does veteran interviews in his hometown in Wisconsin.
I haven’t heard of anyone, reenactor or not, doing that for at least a few years. The last time I talked to a WWII veteran was in 2011, when I took a B-25 pilot named Len Super down to the SAC museum south of Omaha, Neb. to look at the B-25 they had on display there. We stopped at McDonalds on the way home, he insisted he buy us something for driving him. That’s the last time I remember having a real conversation with someone who was really there. I’ve said hello to vets here and there since then, but most of them have been well into their 90s and less than lucid.
They’re almost gone. Len Super died not long after that trip. Most every veteran I’ve ever had a connection with has past away. My Grandma died in 2012, my last close connection to the era. Of course I miss my grandmother, but I also miss the entire generation. I miss being able to run into WWII vets on a semi regular basis, stop them in a store or a diner and say hi, listen to a quick story and be on your way. The color and optimism they brought to the world was greatly appreciated and sorely needed. They’d seen the reality of hard times. Not some self-imposed version of hard times spewed from the mouth of every 20 something who doesn’t get into the sorority she was hoping for.
That’s what made them so wonderful to be around. They saw the world as a much better place than when they were young, and that made them hopeful.
What I really miss more than anything are the stories. No generation has ever been as graceful or talented in the art of storytelling. I’ve been scouring YouTube in the last few days looking for some of my favorite veteran stories. I’ve complied a list of them here. Most of them are from Ken Burn’s documentary “The War.” I want as many people as humanly possible to hear these wonderful, sad, happy and hilarious stories. Enjoy and share with anyone you can!
Ray Leopold
JOE MEDICINE CROW
SID PHILLIPS
DWAIN LUCE
JOSEPH VAGHI
BURNETT MILLER, RAY LEOPOLD and SAM HYNES
NORMAN SWANEY

If reenacting was a religion, and some would consider it to be, the battlefields of Europe would be our Mecca. Every living historian I've ever met has either been, is planning to go or has at least talked about traveling to Normandy, Germany and the like. To set your feet in Carentan or Caen after years of studying and reenacting the battles that took place there is nothing short of life-changing. I recently caught up with a reenactor who finally made his dream trip come true nearly 20 years after he first put on the O.D. green. Check out the highlights from my interview with Mat Hanson below.
How long have you been a reenactor and what got you into the hobby?
I started reenacting back in the fall of 1998. At the time I had no idea it existed or there was such a thing as World War II reenacting. My passion or some might call an obsession, with World War II started when I was 8 years old after my first air show experience. My grandfather served during the war on an Escort Carrier in the South Pacific as a radio man on 40mm anti aircraft guns. He was always interested in aviation and turned me on to it through air shows, books, documentaries and listening to his stories. I started to spread to everything else World War II related and we would always talk about it. From these talks I would hear stories of his brothers and friends who all served. Through those stories I gained nothing but the utmost respect for our veterans and the importance to keep history alive. I wasn’t learning these lessons in my school’s history classes.
During the summer of 1998, I lost my grandfather. The Saturday before his funeral, I attended a local air show in the Twin Cities with some friends. There I stumbled across a reenacting group manning a display. I knew this was something I wanted to start doing. I had no idea how easy it was to get started and what they did. A couple of months later I attended my first tactical event and I was bitten by the bug and forever hooked.
The loss of my grandfather hit me pretty hard, but as I reflect on this eighteen years later, his passion to teach transferred on to me and I can’t even begin to account for the hundreds of people I've had the pleasure to speak to and educate them on the men and women who served in WWII. Not just that, but I’ve gained countless friendships with people who like him and I share a passion to learn, discuss and keep the history alive for the future.
What unit do you portray and why?
I am a member of Fox Co. 2/502nd PIR 101st Airborne Division out of Minnesota. I joined this group because I wanted to group that had the same beliefs I have about this hobby, to honor veterans and teach history to future generations.
How long was the trip to Europe on the books?
We started planning for this trip back in February for everything to happen in September.
Where did you travel in Europe?
This trip was a big one, two weeks and five countries to hit! The plan was simple at high level five days in Normandy, four days in Holland, four days in Bastogne, and a couple of stops in Aachen, Germany and Luxembourg. Planning the stops took some more planning, but what sites we did hit was a reenactors dream vacation.
We stayed in St. Mere Eglise during the entire Normandy stay, just blocks away from the church Private John Steele landed. In Holland We stayed in Nijmegen and our hotel was blocks away from the bridge, we could see it from our balcony. In Belgium we stayed blocks from McAuliffe Square.
What was your favorite location?
This is a hard question for me, I enjoyed all of the sites we visited, but if we had to pick I would say the Normandy Area. From where we stayed, you could walk in any direction and hit an import location. There is just so much going on in a concentrated area, it is easy to miss some sites on a five day stay.
Describe to me what it felt like to visit the U.S. cemetery at Omaha beach.
Its one thing to see pictures online, but when you step foot on the grounds it just blows your mind. It was a weird feeling of pride, sadness, and gratitude for the ten thousand plus GIs buried there. The grounds are kept in pristine condition with some fantastic memorials and museums. I’m amazed at the amount of people that visit this cemetery on a yearly basis, and the locals show great appreciate for those American men that paid the ultimate price for their freedoms.
Walking through the streets of Normandy, it's easy to imagine what it must've looked like at the time. Very little has changed. What was that like for someone so connected to the history of the area?
I thought it was awesome; you can still physically touch the same buildings that stood 70 plus years ago and see the bullet holes in the sides of houses and fences. It was a very surreal feeling to be walking down the same roads as those guys did back in June 1944. I applaud the French for not trying tear down history and upgrade some of these towns. Every road, turn, town square, or field had something going on it was just so much in such a concentrated area it just blows your mind.
It's every reenactors dream to visit the battlefields we spend so much time studying. What was it like to finally be there after over a decade of reenacting?
This was a bucket list trip for me. From a very young age I always wanted to go to Normandy and walk the beaches. I went to Europe in high school but we only hit London and Paris, which bummed me out that we were so close and didn't stop. So to finally make it was literally a dream come true to not just hit Normandy, but also Holland and Belgium. One thing that added some great perspective is to see how the terrain really was, the coasts, hedgerow country and really understand how daunting of a task these guys had when trying take back these lands.
Did you use a tour program or go on your own? We did a mix of a couple days with paid tour guides and friends in Normandy and Holland. But most of it was a plan put together by us and what we wanted to see. We drove ourselves around which gave us the ability to be fluid and change due to timing or weather.
Did you find yourself getting emotional as you walked through all the battlefields where so many people gave their lives?
At times I did catch myself becoming emotional, at the cemeteries and beaches mostly. To know that you’re standing at the spot where thousands died trying to run up those vast open spaces of beach. When we hit Omaha beach the second day, It was warmer and nice out and the locals were enjoying the beach. All you can see are kids playing and families laughing, and I had this internal struggle with “don’t they know where they are, and what happened here!!!.” I was quickly reminded by one of the guys I traveled with that many gave their lives so they could have the freedom enjoy life. That helped put me at an ease of mind around that.
What did you miss that you'd like go back and see someday?
I’d go back in a heartbeat. The group I went with are already taking of a possible 2019 trip for the 75th anniversary of D-day and then head into Germany. I found myself not ever getting bored or tired of seeing all the sites. I would see some of the same spots for a 2nd time.
For your money, what country had the best food and beer?
If I had to rank them from best to good, for the beer category it would be Belgium, Holland, and France. In regards to food it would be Holland, Belgium, and France.

Every war movie released since 1998 has been dubbed “the best war film since Saving Private Ryan.”
“Hacksaw Ridge” was no different. The hype surrounding this movie was intense. The 10-minute ovation at the premiere, the return of Mel Gibson, there was no shortage of expectation.
For that reason I was a little apprehensive to go see it. I assumed I’d be let down no matter what, since everyone I knew was telling me how great it was.
My biggest concern going into the movie was the thought that the story might rely too heavily on Doss being a CO. That alone is not a unique enough story. Hundreds of COs served both off an on the frontline in WWII.
It did let me down, but not near as much as I thought it would and that’s a win in my book.
I very much liked the first half of the movie. The love story is great and I felt really connected to Doss’ struggle. He was played so kind and soft spoken you couldn’t help but want him to win.
The first real cringe moment was his introduction to basic training. His platoon mates were each a walking cliché of WWII stereotypes. The good-looking “Hollywood,” the short little quedo, the asshole who for some reason always becomes the B.A.R. gunner.
Nothing that I didn’t expect though, so I put the cheesiness out of my mind and focused on the brilliance of Vince Vaughn as the grizzled NCO. His christening of the Pollack as “chief” was one of the funnier moments of any WWII movie I’ve ever seen.
I was anxious to get to the combat scenes. I’m not a movie critic in the faintest sense, but I do love reviewing authenticity and everything was so straightforward in the training scenes there wasn’t much to critique.
Yet when they actually jumped from stateside to overseas it left me confused. I realized there had been no timeline the entire movie, which left me with tons of questions. We jumped from an ambiguous time somewhere after Pearl Harbor to May 1945, three months before the war’s end. What happened in-between? Did he volunteer toward the end of the war or did his unit just spend 3 years getting ready to invade Okinawa? Were the C.O. and Vaughn veterans who had returned from overseas to train a new unit or was this their first action as well?
I had just barely recovered from this whirlwind when the first combat scene finally debuted, and punched me square in the jaw.
I saw the movie by myself, something I generally enjoying doing. But when I watched them try and take Hacksaw for the first time I wished someone I knew had been sitting next to me. It was horrific on a level I’d never seen before. I good friend of mine told me before I went to see it that it made ‘Private Ryan’ look like a kids movie. He was right. It was almost too much, visually. I couldn’t see what was happening in the hurricane of limbs and bayonets and mortar explosions. It really left me wondering if the battle had really been that bad. If there was that much hand to hand combat. I still don’t know, information on the actual battle has been hard to come by.
It was all very shocking and overwhelming. The only thing that pulled me out of the intensity was the asshole B.A.R. gunner picking up half a dead body and using it as his Captain America shield while he charged a group of japs. Why, Mel Gibson, why??
I shook my head at that, tried to forget about it and waded through the rest of the film. All in all I loved it. Minor authenticity mistakes here and there, (helmet liners, bayonet lugs and postwar sights) but nothing too egregious and nothing that took away from the power of the story.
That’s what really made this film worth watching. The pure power of Desmond Doss’ story. Is it the best war film since “Saving Private Ryan?”
No.
But a worthy effort by all involved and a wholly amazing story that needed to be told.

The reenacting season comes and goes. It tends to heat up in the summer and fall, then ease off in the hot summer months and dead of winter.
During these times it’s easy to get in a “reenacting rut.” There’s nothing to plan for, no buzz on Facebook or online forums about upcoming events. Personally I see why the hot months of July and August are less than inviting. Wool and humidity are a real bitch when they’re paired together.
On the other hand, the winter lull, when many a reenactor looks out his window and shudders at the thought of venturing into the chill, is my favorite time to get into the field.
I believe it starts with the mystery and mystique surrounding the Battle of the Bulge. By far the most popular battle to reenact during the holiday season, the history of the bulge is incredible. What soldiers of both sides endured during the winter of 44-45 is truly amazing.
I can’t imagine what it would’ve been like to fight in WWII. The pain and horror can only be understood by those who experienced it firsthand. But take all that suffering and death and throw sub zero temperatures, a foot of snow and blizzard condition winds on top of it and the scenario becomes unthinkably horrific. I’ve spent hours, days maybe, thinking about how any human being could endure those conditions. I still don’t know how anyone did it.
(Just for the record, I know conditions on the Eastern front were even worse, but I have little to know experience researching or reenacting it).
That’s what makes cold weather events so enticing to me. Spending 24 hours “living it” always leaves me in awe of how the real guys could’ve survived weeks in those conditions.
These events also allow me to “pull out all the stops” so to speak. Improvising with how to carry everything you need has always been one of my favorite parts of the hobby and it’s never more important than during a winter event.
This is made even more exciting by how ill prepared the allies were during this time. So often you see infantrymen carrying almost no gear, everything thrown in pockets or stuff down the front of a field jacket.
You also have to figure out how to carry your sleeping gear. I’d like to eventually work up to going without that but have never had the balls to venture out for a night without multiple wool blankets or a period bag carried in a hobo roll.
My unit does an overnight tactical in central Minnesota every December. We sleep in foxholes smack dab in the middle of a large stand of planted evergreens. I couldn’t imagine an area that looks more like Belgium if I tried.
The feeling I get when I’m there is amazing. It’s frightening actually, when you feel the cold setting in. You know that at least for the next 24 hours, there’s no way to get warm. No heaters, no campfires, no Gortex boots. “Deep cold” as I call it, cold that shakes you to your bones, is one of the worst feelings I’ve ever experienced.
The night after the event when I’m back home in my toasty warm bed I remember what that felt like and shudder. Then I realize for the real guys in the winter of 44-45, there was no warm bed to be had. They would still be out there for weeks, maybe months. And there’d be people trying to kill them. It’s at this very moment every year that my appreciation and amazement at what those men went through is at its highest level. And that makes it worth it.
Check out this video to take a look at the event we do every December!

A few days ago we highlighted the finer points of our Axis photo contest winners. Today we'll be going through the same process with our allied winners. We've said this a hundred times, but it was a real pleasure to see everyone's impressions and we can't wait to do our WWI contest in November.
I have to admit my favorite photos to scroll through are allied impressions. My personal reenacting has always been on the side of the "good guys," so I love seeing unique impressions I can use to tweak little parts of my own.
1st Place Winner
Our first place winner was submitted by Mitchell Babarovich. It was our hands down winner, with only a few other photos being considered. As always, we looked for original quality pictures and this one could not seem more real. It looks like the candid shots you often see of GIs waiting around before an attack or gathered in the rear shooting the shit. The picture was taken at Camp Rilea in Warrenton, OR on December 5th, 2016 at Army Group 1944s annual Ost-West-Kampf. The unit featured is the 41st Armored Infantry Regiment, 2nd Armored Division. They're part of the organization, Army Group 1944. Near the end of the Saturday of the event, the 41st AIR was positioned behind a berm next to a small patch of trees that overlooked a road on which a German light armor column was expected to drive down. No word from the photographer on whether the krauts ever made that push, but either way it turned into a great shot. 2nd place winner
The only thing that sets this photo apart from our winner was the fact that I couldn't see any facial expressions on the GIs pictured (which always really adds to the photo). The original quality is second to none and the backdrop is absolutely perfect. Which makes sense as the photo was snapped during the last fews days of the 2nd Armored in Europe trip "The Pursuit." One of the greatest events I've ever heard of, the envy I feel for everyone in this photo cannot be measured. The photo was taken outside the German held airfield in Cambrai-Niergnes. The photo was taken by Rick van Nooij with a period camera. Featured in the photo (left to right) are Scott Hatch, Lew Ladwig, William Quayle (behind rifle) and Dave Dantzler. The 2nd AD boys are waiting for a mortar barrage to get started before making their advance. Like I said, the envy can't be measured.